Modern computing involves communication among electronic devices. This communication may occur over a network, or a collection of computers and other electronic hardware interconnected by communication channels. Many homes and offices have a number of computers connected via a local area network (LAN). Computers may be networked in the LAN via a wired or wireless network. A wireless local area network (WLAN) is established using a device known as wireless router. The wireless router mostly provides local area network access to wirelessly connected client devices such as notebook/laptop computers, smart phones, tablets, and other portable computer devices.
A wireless router is a hardware device used to provide wireless communication among computerized devices. Wireless routers are manufactured by different vendors and operate using software specifically designed for such specific devices or a narrow range of devices. Most wireless router vendors use different chipsets or electronic hardware, which is operated by different software, or “firmware.” Since a plethora of wireless router models are created by numerous different vendors, firmware is typically device-specific.
Through the firmware, a wireless router will use a different set of control commands to remotely manage a WLAN. Different wireless routers, each configurable with different firmware, require inconsistent and often incompatible procedures to access and manipulate the settings of the router. This inconsistency produces a different communication type between a system administrator and a managed wireless router, complicating the management and optimization of a wireless network.
Wireless routers provide wireless communication of electronic devices over a contained geographic area. The bounds of a geographic area depend on the maximum distance that a wireless router signal can propagate on air channels and the ability of mobile clients to respond to the received signal. Many users lack the technical capacity or desire to manipulate the settings of the wireless router to alter the router's settings. However, for most wireless routers in the market, initial or default factory settings do not adapt to the environment where the wireless router is operated. Environmental changes that occur during use in a geographic area typically result in sub-optimal operation. Conditions that may affect performance may include signal reflection, deflection, scattering, and other types of signal degradation. Crowding of wireless networks in a geographic area also causes considerable signal degradation.
In addition, wireless routers are often configured with the same or similar settings during the manufacturing stage. This standardization of default settings may result in a large number of wireless routers fighting over the same channel for multiple wireless networks. Overcrowding on a wireless channel results in a disadvantageous decrease in communication speed and increase in lost connections. In the present state of the art, wireless routers do not communicate among each other to organize or manage the use of the common air channels and are incapable of coordinating a solution to address decreased performance. In modern homes and offices, often many WLANs are established by wireless devices owned by the same individual or business. However, each of those WLANs is managed separately and typically affects other WLANs performance. Highly skilled network administrators require hours to configure and continually reconfigure those networks to function properly and still cannot guarantee results with perpetually optimal performance.
Additionally, improper settings of a wireless router or other wireless networking device can lead to security risks. Members of an improperly managed or incorrectly established wireless network may expose his or her computer to malicious users.
What is needed is a system and method to detect a condition of a wireless network within a zone of wireless networks. What is also needed is a system and method to analyze a condition of a network that is below a performance threshold to determine a solution to affect the degree at which the condition exists. What is needed is a system and method of controlling one or more wireless networking device to apply the solution, wherein the wireless networking devices can be heterogeneous. What is also needed is system to enhance the security of a wireless network.